by Kim Linwood
“Was kind of hoping you were elsewhere, actually. Like London. Or the Moon.”
“Oh, God no. Have you seen it out there? Paradise. I checked the weather back home, and it hasn’t stopped raining for three days.” He spins around.
“I’d have thought you were used to that from middle-of-nowhere-shire, or wherever you’re from.” I root through the small fridge in my office. “Did you at least leave me any beer?”
“West Bumfuck-borough, actually. Rough date?”
“You have no idea. She’s sweet. And she talks.” I take a long swallow of pale ale. “And talks. And talks.”
“Oh yeah, that sounds like Hell. I can barely imagine. A date in paradise with a cute chatty blonde. You do realize I’ve been trapped on an island surrounded by hot women I’m not allowed to touch, don’t you?”
I laugh and sit on my desk, drinking my beer and staring out the window. In the distance there’s a cruise liner heading towards Tortola. Hundreds of people crammed in together surrounded by food and strangers. I can sympathize a little after the past week.
“Being the center of their attention isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”
“Ah yes, poor little rich boy. Forced to do such horrid tasks as kiss attractive women.”
“Oh, fuck off. You were there, right? There’s no way Amanda won that competition.”
Danny tips his head in agreement. “She’s a pretty little thing, but you’re right, your secret agent sister stole the show.”
“Stepsister. Ex-stepsister.” The look on her face when Amanda and I were being led away for our date has been burned into my brain all afternoon. I tried to be as charming as I could, but the only thing on my mind the whole date was what Liz was thinking. “How was she? Did anything happen after I left?”
“Was she torn apart by Elena and the other rabid dogs? No. She held her own, but…”
“But what?” I slam the beer down on the desk and glare at him. “What happened?”
Danny hesitates.
“Just fucking say it.”
“I don’t know, and it might not be my place to say.” He looks at me and sighs. “Fine. She got a call today from some sort of medical clinic. I don’t know the details, so don’t even ask. All I know is she was in there with Blaze and a camerawoman for about ten minutes. When she came out, her eyes were red, and she looked like someone kicked her puppy. That’s all I know, sorry.”
The thought of Blaze knowing something I don’t about Liz pisses me off. It drives home how little I really know about her now. She’s still smart, and fun, and beautiful. I know bits and pieces of half truths about her life, but what she’s been doing? Why she’s here? I still have no idea.
I drain the last of the beer and stand up to do… something. “I’m going to her room.”
“Far be it from me to stand in the way of true lust, but do you have a plan once you get there?”
“Not a clue.” I grin at Danny’s head shake. “But maybe I’ll figure it out on the way.”
She doesn’t answer when I knock. Not the first time, the second time, or after a bit of a pause, the third. “L—Sarah. Are you in there?” I try the door. It’s locked.
It’s my fucking house. I can break in if I want to.
I don’t, though.
I go looking, but she’s nowhere to be seen and it’s getting late. Either she’s sleeping or she’s trying hard not to be found. I sigh.
If she’s out somewhere on the island, I don’t have a chance of finding her in the dark. She probably knows it better than I do. The island’s safe, so I’m sure she’ll be fine, but it still bothers me.
She can’t hide forever.
28
Liz
“And the winner is…” Blaze plays up the reveal, reading slowly off his card. “Sarah!”
There’s scattered applause, and I get a half-hearted hug from Bianca. We’re the only ones who dared dive the full thirty feet from the balustrade, just like Hunter did in the commercial for the show. Everyone else chickened out and used the platform set up halfway down the cliff.
What they don’t know is that Hunter and I dared each other to dive from the same spot all the time. I’m more impressed by Bianca who’d never done it before.
I want to believe I won fair and square, but it seems too coincidental that they’d pick a challenge where I have such an advantage. Amanda watches me from across the sand. She doesn’t look angry, but she looks suspicious.
“You should be glad today’s not an elimination challenge,” Blaze mocks. “If it were up to me, I’d be sending half of you home, but no, you’ll live to fight another day. For now.” He grins. “Still, you’ve let Sarah get away with another victory. It takes more than luck to win that valuable time with our bachelor. Better start asking yourselves if you have what it takes to play for keeps.”
The glares I get are withering.
Amanda struts over to Hunter, and puts her hands on his chest, standing on her toes. He leans down, and she whispers something. He laughs, and she walks away with a wink. She might not have won, but she didn’t waste the opportunity to remind everyone who had the last date.
I stomp down my jealousy.
I’m the one who really cares about him.
Blaze claps his hands to get our attention. “Did you think that was it? A little hop into the water?” He shakes his head and tsks. “We picked this challenge specifically to make sure the winner has no trouble with heights, because today’s reward isn’t just any old date, it’s going to require a real leap of faith.”
Wait, what?
“You all know Hunter is an accomplished pilot, but did you know he’s equally good at jumping out of planes? With over five hundred jumps under his belt, he’s instructor certified and today, he’s going to take Sarah on a tandem jump over the island!”
Hunter stands there grinning, and the cameras pan to me.
“Sarah?” Bianca whispers. “Are you going to puke?”
Breathe in, one. Breathe out, two. Going up in a plane is bad enough. Jumping out of one? That’s madness.
I raise my hand tentatively. “Um… don’t I need training first? Lots of training?”
Hunter steps up. Even in my state of panic, I notice how his black t-shirt clings so tightly to his torso that he might as well not be wearing it. “Don’t worry. I’ll be in control the whole way. You just have to hang on and enjoy the ride.”
“I bet that’s what you tell all the girls,” I grumble.
Bianca laughs, and Hunter’s mouth twitches.
“There are some safety rules to go over, but as Blaze said, I’m a certified instructor. You’re in good hands.” Hunter gently pulls my hands apart and wraps his fingers around mine.
“Right. Of course.” I look longingly back at the house. “But, um… I should probably go change first.” We’re all still standing around in our swimsuits after the diving, and there’s no way I’m jumping out of a plane in a bikini. What do I look like, a Bond girl?
As if summoned by my attempt to run for my life, Danny shows up. He hands me a basket with clothes and a pair of sneakers. “Already covered, Miss. Enjoy your flight.”
“Thanks,” I squeak.
He shoots Hunter an amused glance and presses his lips together, holding in laughter.
All too aware of the camera following me, I let Hunter lead me away when all I really want to do is turn tail, run and hide in my room. My stomach is doing flips, and the only thing holding me together is the strength of his hand on mine. His cool confidence calms me—just a little. Very little, but maybe I just need to trust him.
He won’t let me fall.
We stop in front of the plane. The open door is a maw ready to swallow me whole, only to spit me back out above the clouds.
Wait. He will let me fall. Plummet even. Hurtle at breakneck speed.
“I can’t do this,” I whisper. “I’m sorry, I can’t.” I look up at Hunter, and my terror must be obvious, since he cups my chin in his hand
and looks right into my eyes.
“I know what I’m doing. You’ll be as safe on the way down as you are here on the ground. I promise.”
“It’s not the falling I’m so worried about. It’s the sudden stop at the end.”
Hunter takes one more long look at me, and when his lips part, I expect him to try and convince me to do the impossible.
But no, he kisses me.
My mind goes blank, and my racing heart skips before racing again for an entirely different reason. His other hand goes to my back, sliding over my bare skin, and under the strap of my top. I close my eyes and lean into him. He smells like the oranges we had with breakfast, and tastes like sugar and sex.
The next thing I know, I’m inside the plane, and Hunter looks incredibly smug. “See? Nothing to it.”
I clutch the basket with my clothes and gape at him. “You tricked me!”
“I like to think of it more as finding the right encouragement.”
“I… You…” I growl and look around. “Where am I supposed to change?”
He’s already busy checking a pile of gear that I assume is supposed to keep us from splatting into the ground at a million miles per hour. “Uh. Here?”
“Turn around and close your eyes,” I order. “And you too!” I tell the cameraman, who seems to forget I can see him.
They dutifully—but not very quickly—follow my instructions. With a sigh, I check what’s in the basket. What the… “Hunter?”
“Need a hand?” he asks hopefully.
“No! Did you have Danny go through my stuff?” The clothes are perfectly reasonable, cotton shorts and a plain t-shirt, but the underwear is a touch less practical.
“I told him to take something easy and comfortable. Why?”
“His idea of comfortable and mine might not be the same,” I say ruefully, eyeing the lace thong.
Hunter starts to turn around.
“Hey! The other way!”
He holds up his hands in surrender.
I change quickly, leaving my bikini bottom on, because the last thing I need at however many feet is a wedgie. “Okay, you can turn around now.” I kick the basket under the seats.
We sit down, and Hunter goes over what we’re going to do. A woman in dark shades climbs onto the plane and gives Hunter a wave before sitting down in the cockpit.
“Oh right, you aren’t flying.”
He laughs. “I’m good, but that would be a bit too much of a stunt, even for me.”
I blush and shove him with my shoulder, playfully. “Shut up.”
“No, you shut up,” he teases.
I don’t know if I’m getting used to flying or it’s Hunter’s relaxed presence, but I hardly panic at all when the plane takes off.
The whole way up he’s going over the skydiving procedures. I listen as well as I can, but somewhere in the back of my head there’s a voice repeating over and over, “You’re going to jump out of a plane and die.”
“You got all that?” he asks.
“Oh, yeah. Absolutely.”
“Okay then, tell me what you’re going to do.”
I grin and look straight into his bright blue eyes. “Scream a lot and possibly pee my pants.”
His face lights up with a huge smile, and he throws his head back and laughs.
I love that sound.
About a half an hour later, we’re at height and circling. He’s gone over the steps until I actually mostly remember them, and I’m strapped into a harness that will attach to his. He’s the one with the full parachute getup on, so I guess he wasn’t totally wrong when he said I just had to hold on and enjoy the ride.
He kicks off his sandals and changes into sneakers, tucking the old shoes into the basket with my bikini. A small strangled noise leaves his throat and I look over. My itty bitty thong is hanging from his hand.
“I’m going to kill Danny,” Hunter mutters before I have the chance to react. “Kill him.”
“Oh? You can’t tell me that you wouldn’t have done the same thing.”
Hunter looks at me, and his expression goes soft and hot. “That’s different.”
“How?”
“You know exactly how,” he whispers low so the camera can’t pick it up, his breath warm against my neck.
“Hunter?” The pilot interrupts. “I’m ready when you are.”
My throat is dry, but the area between my thighs is anything but.
He holds me against him, hand flat against my stomach. I’m so distracted that I barely notice him strapping us together, each buckle and cinch locking us tight.
With one big yank, Hunter opens the door, leaving me looking out of a gaping hole into the sky.
Reality crashes down. We’re going to do this. We’re actually going to do this.
“You’re good. Everything’s in place. All you have to do now is enjoy the ride.”
Easy for him to say.
Next to us, the cameraman goes over his gear one last time as well. He’s obviously done this before. He’s got a GoPro on his helmet, and a camera he can aim secured to his arm. He gives a nod and stands up, ready to go.
Attached to Hunter’s front, my feet barely touch the ground. The die is cast. Even if I wanted to I couldn’t get loose now.
There’s a click as he releases my safety strap. “Stop wiggling and lift your knees.”
I curl into a little ball, hanging on the front of him as he walks closer and closer to the edge—the separation between sort of safe and dying at almost two hundred feet per second. See, I remembered something. Go me!
Hunter raises his arms and leans forward. I whimper, too scared to scream. He doesn’t jump right away, just leans and looks down, leaving me to basically hang from his chest with nothing but the ground far below me.
“Alright. Here we go.”
I’m going to die.
29
Liz
The cameraman drops out of the plane and I draw my breath in shock. Hunter waits the span of a heartbeat, then follows. A terrified scream tears itself from my lungs.
To make it worse, he flips on his way out, showing off to the camera and making my world spin in a nausea-inducing whirl. It’s only when he straightens and stabilizes that my scream tapers off.
The drogue chute deploys—a tiny piece of cloth that’s supposed to keep us from dropping too quickly—and I feel the slight tug as it starts to do its job. My eyes are squeezed shut and I’m dangling in the air, secured to Hunter, but plummeting towards the ground.
I open my eyes.
Oh.
My.
God.
The plane was my only frame of reference, and now it’s off in the distance. The ground is so far away that it hardly even feels like falling. We’re flying.
Floating.
It’s terrifying, and amazing. Hunter yells something into my ear, but all I can hear is the rush of the wind. He bumps my shoulder, and I realize I’m still practically curled into a ball. I spread my arms and the feeling of floating is complete.
Everything is so clear. My skin tingles, but I don’t feel cold.
How long was the fall supposed to last? A minute or so, he said. I’ve lost count of seconds, but it feels like forever. Hunter taps my shoulder in warning.
Now.
Everything goes tight and I lose my breath. For a couple of seconds after Hunter yanks the cord, we soar up before we settle. The roar of the wind goes silent and then we’re floating gently with the expanse of the chute unfurled above us.
There’re a couple of clicks as he releases the latches at my hips, and the harness loosens enough that I can breathe again. “There. That should be better. How are you feeling?”
“Like I want to kick your ass, and like I’m in a whole different world.” Never in a million years would I have guessed I’d enjoy this, but it’s incredible.
“It is a whole different world. This is my favorite part. Totally disconnected from the earth. Up here I can just be.”
“Yeah
.” For as long as we’re falling, life feels like it’s been put on hold. “Thank you for sharing this with me.”
“I’m glad you won,” he murmurs into my ear.
So am I.
Below us, the island grows larger and larger. I’m like a leaf caught in a breeze, like even a slight adjustment could send us careening off into the ocean. The closer we get to the trees, the more nervous I get, but Hunter is a steadying influence behind me, strong and sure.
“How are you holding up? Am I going to have to restart your heart when we get down?”
“I’m okay.” Surprisingly, it’s true. I should be panicking, but I’m not. There are no engines that might explode, or wings to fall off. It’s just us and a parachute. I’m not afraid of heights or falling, just of being out of control.
What a joke.
I’m not in control. I’m living a lie, inside a lie.
My heart’s pounding, but it’s time for the real leap of faith. The guilt has been tearing at me for too long.
“Hunter?”
“Mhmm?” His mouth is right against my neck. I’ve been so distracted that I didn’t even notice, but now that I have, sparks trail across my skin.
“I… I need to tell you something.” Just spit it out! Thank God I can’t see his face or I’d never dare.
“Go on, then. I’m a captive audience.” He laughs softly. His lips brush the sensitive skin behind my ear.
I can’t do this. I don’t even know what to say.
“Sarah?” Hunter prods.
Right. That’s a good place to start. “My name isn’t Sarah. I’m not who you think I am.”
Behind me, Hunter tenses. “Then who are you?”
This is it, the moment he starts to hate me, and I can’t make myself say it. The words just won’t come out. We float down, the cameraman drifting below us, and I’m praying the ground will open up and swallow me when we land.
“Just say it.”
“Liz, Liz Bissette.” My chest tightens more and more for every second he doesn’t speak. Hanging in the air, it feels like a silent eternity. “Say something. Please, just say something.”